Projection screen



Sept 12, 1944. F, M. E. HOLMES ETAL 2,358,070

PROJECTION SCREEN Filed June 25, 1942 MVEMENT DURIIYSEXPOSURE Fredefv'ckME//O/mes ma W/@T ORNt E@ i" Patented Sept.`l2,144 l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,358,070 PROJECTION SCREEN Frederick M. E. Holmes and Lloyd F. lSeebach, Rochester, N. Y., assixnors to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application June 2'5, 1942, serial No. 448,362 'z claims. (c1. sszs.9o

The present invention relates to projection progressively from the axis of the screen toward screens and more particularly to a screen of the the edges thereof. When the present invention type having a lenticulated support and a light is used, the position of the projector is not critical bslbing layer. as regards to the efficiency of the screen. The

It is known in the art of projection screens to 5 practical advantages of such an arrangement are provide a light absorbing layer with non-absorbing portions to permit the `transmission or rean object of the invention is to provide ection of the light from the projector. If the a screen which except for the desired image appears dark or black to the observer.

Another object of the invention is to provide a screen which will receive all the light incident thereon but will display to ah observer only the light coming from the projector.

The object of the present invention which constitutes its advantage over previous screens of this nature was pointed out above and is to permit the display ofthe projected image indetypes are provided with rear surface having pendent of the projector distance.

a plurality of lenticular elements formed therein Further Objects and advantages Will be 8pwhich cause the light to be brought to focus on 20 parent to those skilled in the art by the descripthe light absorbing layer. The light focused on tion which follows:

this layer reaches the eyes of the `audience The above and other objects are provided by a through the non-absorbing areas or spots in the projection screen in which a light transmitting light absorbing layer at the foci of the lenticular support has lenticular elements formed in one elements. surface thereof and a light absorbing layer on 'I'he light absorbing layer is in general made the other surface with non-absorbing areas or from a light sensitive material, such as photospots at the foci of the elements to permit only graphic emulsion or a circular polarizing sheet that light coming from the projector to reach which may be made non-absorbing by exposing the audience. According to the invention, the to a light source. Heretofore, the non-absorbing spots increase in radial length progressively from areas or spots were formed in the light sensitive the axis of the screen toward the edges of the layer by placing a light source in the same posiscreen to permit the use of the projector at varition with respect to the screen as lthe projector ous positions With respect t0 the Screen. would occupy and exposing the light sensitive Reference is hereby made to the accompanying layer. When the non-absorbing areas are formed drawing'in which like numerals and characters in this m'anner, the eiliciency of the screen is designate similar parts and wherein: greatest when the projector occupies the same Fig. l is a rear view of a portion of the Screen position with respect to the screen as the exposshowing the arrangement of the lenticular eleing light source. If the projector is moved closer ments; to the screen or moved away from the screen, the 40 Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical section through a eiiiciency of the screen falls off particularlyrtotransmission type of screen using a photographic ward the edges ofthe screen, because not all the emulsion as a light absorbing layer with the nonlight is reaching the eyes of the audience. The absorbing spots concentric with the axis of its object of the invention is to provide a screen of corresponding element; this type with which it is permissible to place Fig.` 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but using a the projector at any convenient distance` with circular polarizing sheet as a light absorbing respect to the screen. layer in a reecting type of screen;

l'he present invention provides a screen in Fig. 4 is an exaggerated front viewof a screen which the non-absorbing areas or spots are according to the invention showing the increase formed in the same manner as heretofore except 5o in radial length of the non-absorbing spots tothe projector can occupy with respect to the the lenticular elements in a transmission screen Figs. 2 and 3 represent with respect to the screen as Fig. 6 is a View similar to Fig. l5 but showing the non-absorbing spot near the center of the screen;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged radial sectionof-one of the l the non-absorbing spot near the center of the screen;

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic view showing the method of exposing the screen for obtaining the non-absorbing spots at the foci of the lenticular elements. j

Fig. 10 is" a diagrammatic view showing the maximum and minimum distance of a projector with respect to the screen.

As shown in Fig. 1, the screen' l0 has formed in one surface thereof a plurality of lenticular elements Il which, asis known inthe art, will focus the light incident thereon onto a light absorbing layer. This type of screen is well known in the art and, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3,. may be of the transmission or rear view type of screen, or a reilecting or front View type of screen. Thus, Figs. Zand 3 may be considered as illustrative of the priorart; however the paraxial zones of our screens do not diier therefrom appreciably.

such zones.

The transmission type of screen, as shown in Fig. 2, comprises a light transmitting support l2 .with lenticular elements il formed in the rear surface thereof, and a light absorbing layer i3 adjacent the front surface oi Athe support l2 in the focal plane of the lenticular elements having a clear area at the exit pupil of each element. A protective coating I4 may be included, if desired.

The reflection type of screen, as shown in Fig. 3 constitutes a combination ofthe present invention with that of Stephen M. MacNielle Serial No. 445,579, filed June 3, 1942, and comprises a light transmitting support it', and a circular polariaer l which consists of a quarter-wave retardation layer l@ and a plane polarizing layer il with its axis oriented at 45 to the optic axis -of the quarter-wave retardation layer it. Attention is drawn at this point to the diference between a quarter-wave retardation layer which is well known to those skilled in the study of polarized light and an optical interference layer, which if it is a single layer, is generally one-quarter wave length thick. A quarter-wave retardation layer is usually much thicker; i. e., of sufficient thickness for the ordinary and extraordinary rays passing therethrough to gain a dierence in phase of one-quarter wave length. In the screen shown, the quarter-wave retardation layer is a sheet of birefringent material, such as that now commercially known as Cellophane, of the proper thickness and orientation. It is to be understood, of course, that any quarter-wave retardation layer will do.

The lenticular elements il are formed in the rear surface of the support l2 and are covered with a metallic coating te of aluminum or silver. The circular polarizer l5 lies adjacent the front surface of the support focal plane of the lenticular elements and has depolarized areas orspots i8' at the foci of each element.

MacNielles screen is sorbing or depolarized areas or spots, for example, by exposing the screen to an intense light source. The light source is placed in the same position l2' substantially in the provided with non-abthe projector which passes through the support l polarizing spots after is to be used. The polarizing quality of the polarizing sheet ll is destroyed at the foci of the lenticular elements by the light focused thereon.

It can be readily appreciated that screens produced as described above are limited in their use since the maximum efliciency of the screen is obtained only when the projector is placed in the same position with respect to the screen as that occupied by the exposing light source. As the projector is moved toward or away from the screen with respect to this particular position, the light incident on the edges of the screen is absorbed and fails to reach the eyes of the audience.

This disadvantage is overcome by a screen according to the present invention; 'and one method of making our screen, as shown in Fig. 9, in which a light source 2l is moved during the exposure of a photosensitive surface l0 between the maximum and minimum positions that the projector may occupy with respect to, the nal screen. By exposing the screen in this manner, the non-absorbing areas are increased in radial length progressively toward the edges of the screen as required and when used with a projector anywhere in the range allowed, permits thetransmission or return of all the light from the projector. The sensitive lm I0' has the lenticular surface facing the source 2l and the photographic emulsion on the other surface facing away from the source v2i for the transmission type of screen. Similarly, for a reiiecting type it has reiiecting lenticules on the opposite face and has a sensitive layer on the side toward the source 2| and which is processable to a circular polarizer with nonexposure.A i

In Fig. l0, a screen i@ made from the sensitive material lll is axially positioned in front of a projector 2t. The projector 2G may assume any position with respect to the screen in the range between the two positions 2li and 20 indicated. As shown, the screen l@ may be either a transmission or reflection screen depending on which side of the screen the audience is located. Of

1 course, it is also to be understood that the proper surface of the screen l@ is facing the projector with respect to whichever screen is being used.

In Fig. 2, the non-absorbing spots l in the paraxial region of the screen i. e., those spots immediately surrounding the axis of the screen, are substantially yconcentric with the axes of their corresponding lenticular elements. The light from the projector, designated by A, is substantially parallel to the axes of the screen and is projected onto the lenticules vEl which focus vthe light on the spots i8 and then passes through the coating lll to the eyes of the audience. 1n the paraxial region of the screen, the light will be more or less uniformly parallel to the axis of the screen irrespective of the position of the projector. Any extraneous light, as designated by B, is absorbed by reach the audience with the exception of some purely specular and hence unavoidable reiiection from the surface of the support lll, as indicated by the broken line C.

In Fig. 5, the non-absorbing area or spot i8, which is near the elige of the screen, is longer and decentered with respect to the axis of its lenticular element to permit the transmission of the light to the audience for al1 positions of the projector with respect to the screen. The light, as designated by D, coming from the position of the projector nearest to the screen is ,focused near the top of the spot I8 and then the layer Ml and does not I4 lto the audience. v

- length toward the 7 and 8, of course, the light is reiiected, but the As the projector is moved away from the screen to its farthest position, the angle of incidence of the light on the lenticular elements decreases and the focal point will move radially toward the axis of the screen, until at the farthest distance the iight win of the spot I8.

In Fig. 6, the spot I 8 is just beyond the paraxial region of the screen. The light, as designated by E, coming from the projector is focused spots I8 radially from more clearly shown in v Y In Fig. 3, the non-absorbing or non circularlypolarizing spots I8' in the paraxial region of the screen are substantially concentric with the axis of their corresponding lenticular-elements. The light, as designated by A', from the projector is substantially parallel to the axis of the screen and on passing through the plane polarizing layer I1 and the quarter-wave retardation layer In Figs. 7 and 8, as in Figs. 5 and 6, the noncircularly-polarizing spots I8 increase in radial edges of the screen. In Figs.

extent of progressive increase in radial length from the 'axis of the screen will be substantially the same.

elements and angle of incidence light source.

Having now particularly described our invention, what we desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United Statesand what We claim is:

l. A screen for displaying optical images projected thereonto comprising a light transbe focused near the bottom said other 'surface having an exit pupil in front of each element for permitting the transmission of only that light coming to the elements from a point on the axis of the screen, said screen being characterized by the fact that exit pupils having a radial length corresponding to the path of the image of a light source moved along the axis of characteristics of the lenticular elements and angle of incidence of a stationary light source.

2. A screen of the transmission typ for displaying optical images projected thereonto by a projector comprising a light transmitting support with a plurality of juxtaposed elements on the rear surface concave to the front surface of said support, and a light absorbing layer substantially in the focal plane of said elements and having a non-absorbing spot in front of each element, said spot including the point at which light from the projector is focused by the corresponding element, said screen being characterized by the fact that said spots having a radial length corresponding image of the light source moved along the axis of the screen and having a size and shape different from those corresponding to the optical characteristics of the lenticular elements and angle of incidence of a stationary light source.

3. A screen for displaying optical images projected thereonto by a projector axially positioned in front of the screen comprising a .iight reflecting surface with a plurality of juxtaposed elements concave to the front, and a circular polarizing sheet substantially in the -iocal plane of said elements and facing away from said surface, said circular polarizing sht having a non circularly-pclarizing spot in front of each element, said spot including the point at which light from the projector is focused by the correspending element, said screen being characterized by the fact that said spots increase in radial length progressively :from the axis of lthe screen toward the edges of the screen.

4. A screen for displaying optical images projected thereonto by a projector axially positioned in front of the screen comprising a light reflecting surface with a plurality of juxtaposed elements concave to the iront, and a circular polarizing sheet substantially in the focal plane circularly-polarizing spot in front of each element, said spot including the point at which light from the projector is focused by the corresponding element, said screen being characterized by the fact that each spot in the paraxial region of the screen is concentric with the axis of its corresponding element and each spot beyond the paraxiai region is decentered radially toward the edge of the screen with respect to the axis of its corresponding element and increases in radial length progressively from the laxis of said screen toward the edges of the screen.

5. The method of making a screen from a light transmitting support with lenticular elements formed therein which comprises exposing to a beam of light from a lightssource a light sensitive layer on said support at the foci of said said light source axially with respect to said support during the expospositions corresponding to maximum and minimum displacements of a projector from the screen whereby the light focused by said elements on said layer forms non-absorbing elongated exit pupils having a size and shape dierent from those corresponding to the optical characteristics of the lenticular elements and angie of incidence of a stationary light source.

6.`The method of.making a screen from a light transmitting support with lenticular elements formed therein which comprises exposing to a beam of light from a light source a layer of photographic emulsion on said support at the foci of said elements, moving said light source axially with respect to said support during the exposing between positions corresponding to maximum and minimum displacements of a projector from the screen and reversally processing aetaoro of the lenticular elements and angle of incident light of a stationary light source.

the photographic layer to format the foci of said elements non-absorbing elongated exit pupils having a size and shape diierent from. those corresponding to the optical characteristics 7. The method of making a screen from a light transmitting support with lenticular elements formed therein which comprises exposing to a beam of light from a light source a circular polarizing sheet on said support at the foci of said elements, the polarizing power of said sheetr being destroyed by exposure to intense light, and moving said light source axially with respect to said support during the exposing between positions corresponding to maximum and displacements of a projector from the screen whereby the light focused by saidelements on said sheet forms non-polarizing areas whose extent radal from the axis of the screen increases progressively toward the edges of the screen.

FREDERICK M. E. HOLMES. LLOYD F. .SEEBACH 

